Modular utility box system

ABSTRACT

A modular utility box system includes separate supply and drain boxes. The supply box has at least one supply opening and the drain box has a drain opening but no supply openings. The supply and drain boxes are interconnectable by a generally U-shaped clip having legs spaced apart a distance selected to accept the narrow dimension of a wall stud therebetween so that the supply and drain boxes may be mounted on opposite sides of a stud. The clip also spaces the supply and drain boxes in the proper vertical and horizontal alignment to facilitate securement of a cover plate to the boxes once installed. The clips engage the boxes to permit interconnected of the boxes in multiple orientations. Elongate brackets may be used to support the erboxes between adjacent studs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to utility boxes such as those used to provide access to drain and supply lines in a wall in order to facilitate the installation of a washing machine.

2. Description of the Related Art

Washing machines are typically provided with connections for hot and cold water supply hoses and with a drain hose through which waste water is expelled. These hoses need to be connected to respective hot and cold water supply lines and to a drain line. The supply lines and drain line are typically located inside a wall in stud bays formed between respective wall studs. A laundry box is used to provide access to the supply lines and drain line through a finished wall so that the respective hoses can be connected.

A typical laundry box comprises a box having a pair of side walls, top and bottom end walls, a back wall and an open front or face. The bottom wall will include a drain opening through which the drain line can be accessed. A pair of supply line openings for admitting the supply lines into the box are formed in either the top or bottom wall, depending upon the direction from which the supply lines are plumbed. Hot and cold water shut-off valves are mounted inside the box in communication with the respective hot and cold supply lines. Mounting flanges are generally provided on the box for connecting it to one or more nearby wall studs. Wallboard is fastened to the wall studs, leaving a wall opening aligned with the front of the laundry box. When a washing machine is installed, the hot and cold supply hoses are run into the laundry box through the wall opening and connected to the respective hot and cold shut-off valves. Similarly, the washing machine drain hose is run into the laundry box through the wall opening and inserted into the drain line through the drain opening.

In order to make installation of the laundry box more flexible, various improved laundry boxes have been developed which provide alternative openings for the drain line and/or supply lines. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,109 to Humber discloses a laundry box having drain openings in both end walls so that the box can used both in installations where the supply lines come from above the laundry box and installations where the supply lines come from below the laundry box. Other patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,881 to Hobbs et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,410 to Humber, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,286 to Geary disclose laundry boxes which are adaptable to allow the supply lines to be located either to the left or right side of the drain line.

One type of installation not allowed for by any of the prior art is one where the drain line is located on the opposite side of a wall stud from the supply lines, i.e. one where the drain line is plumbed in a stud bay adjacent to the one in which the supply lines are located. One advantage to being able to plumb the drain line in this manner is that it allows a drain line having a complete S-trap to be installed in a single stud bay without cutting (and thereby weakening) any of the wall studs.

What is needed is a laundry box system which is versatile enough to allow the supply lines to come in from different directions, such as either the top or bottom, to be on either side of the drain opening, and to be on the opposite side of a wall stud from the drain line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a modular utility box system which includes a supply box having at least one supply opening sized to receive a water supply line and a separate drain box having a drain opening sized to receive a drain line. The supply box and the drain box are interconnectable in multiple configurations such that the supply box may be positioned to the right or left of the drain box and may be oriented with its supply opening or openings directed in multiple orientations, including either upwardly or downwardly. The boxes may be interconnected using a generally U-shaped clip having legs which are selectively engageable with any of the box sidewalls. The legs of the clip are spaced apart a distance selected to receive the narrow dimension of a standard wall stud therebetween such that the drain and supply boxes may be positioned on opposite sides of a stud. The clip can also be fastened to the stud using conventional fasteners such as nails or screw, and thus acts both to inter-connect the drain and supply boxes and to fasten the boxes to the wall.

For installations where the supply box and drain box are to be positioned side-by-side in the same stud bay, additional brackets are used to fasten the boxes to the wall studs. A second generally U-shaped clip can be connected to a free side wall of one of the boxes and used to attach the already interconnected supply and drain boxes to an adjacent wall stud. Alternatively, the free side wall can be mounted directly to a stud using mounting flanges and nail guides formed in the box. The end walls of the boxes include bracket receiving slots or grooves or both sized to receive elongate mounting brackets for mounting the boxes between adjacent studs. A pair of the elongate mounting brackets can be mutually received through the bracket receiving slots and grooves of both the supply and drain boxes with one bracket positioned above the boxes and one below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front plan view of a modular utility box system installed in a wall with portions of the wall removed to show water supply and drain lines connected to the system for subsequent connection to a washing machine water supply and drain lines.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing a supply box of the system secured in the wall.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of portions of the modular utility box system including a supply box and a drain box secured on opposite sides of a stud prior to installation of wallboard to the studs and a cover plate over the boxes.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front plan view of the supply box shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged and fragmentary cross-sectional view of the supply box taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a supply box adapted for use in providing access to a hookup for a single water supply line such as may be used to supply water to an ice maker.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the drain box shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front plan view of the drain box shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged and fragmentary cross-sectional view of the drain box taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged and fragmentary cross-sectional view of the drain box taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of a cover plate for the supply and drain boxes when connected together as in the manner shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the cover plate.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a clip used to connect the supply box to the drain box in the manner shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 14-14 of FIG. 3 showing a brace of the clip bent 90 degrees and into engagement with an interior surface of a C-shaped metal stud to which the clip is attached.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary front plan view showing an alternative mounting arrangement wherein the supply and drain box are mounted between two studs with one of the boxes abutting against one of the studs and with the supply box inverted to permit connection to supply lines plumbed above the supply box.

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary front plan view showing another alternative mounting arrangement wherein a single box is mounted between two studs without abutting against either stud.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, the words “upwardly,” “downwardly,” “rightwardly,” and “leftwardly” will refer to directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” will refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the embodiment being described and designated parts thereof. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of a similar import.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, the reference number 1 generally designates a modular utility or laundry box system according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the system 1 is used to provide access to hot and cold water supply lines 3 and 5, respectively, and to a drain line 7 located in a wall 9 in order to allow connection of a washing machine (not shown). The wall 9 is expected to be constructed in the traditional fashion with wallboard 10 fastened to spaced apart wall studs 11, including wood or metal studs 11. As discussed in more detail hereafter, the laundry box system 1 allows ready and removable connection of washing machine hot and cold water supply lines (not shown) to the supply lines 3 and 5 and insertion of a washing machine drain line into the drain line 7 mounted in the wall 9. However, it is to be understood that the system could be used in association with other water supply and drain line systems including water supply lines for refrigerator/freezers and other appliances which may only utilize a single water supply line.

The washing machine water supply lines may be connected to the supply lines 3 and 5 in wall 9 using connector assemblies or hookups 16 and 17. Each hookup 16 and 17 includes first and second connectors 18 and 19 which are mounted on opposite sides of a shut-off valve 20. Each of the wall mounted water supply lines 3 and 5 are connected to a respective first connector 18 and the washing machine water supply lines 13 and 14 (not shown) are connected to a respective second connector 19. The shut-off valves 20 may both be operated by a single valve actuator 21 or by separate actuators (not shown). Each of the hookups 16 and 17 may further include a water hammer arrester 22. The connector assemblies or hookups 16 and 17 may be considered as forming a portion of a respective water supply line 3 or 5 and may also be considered part of the laundry box system 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, showing a portion of the system 1 mounted on a stud 11 prior to installation of the wall board 10 and without the hookups 16 and 17, the laundry box system 1 includes a supply box 24 and a drain box 25. The supply box 24 and drain box 25 may be mounted separately on one or more studs 11 or, as shown in FIG. 3, the boxes 24 and 25 may be connected together and mounted to a stud 11 using one or more U-shaped clips 26 or elongate brackets 27, or other mounting structure and combinations thereof. The boxes 24 and 25 are preferably molded from high impact plastic, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene). In general practice, once the boxes 24 and 25 are mounted in a stud wall 9, wallboard 10 with a hole cut to receive the boxes 24 and 25 is secured to the studs 11. A cover plate 28 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is then secured to the boxes 24 and 25 providing access to the interiors thereof and covering the gaps between the outer edges of the boxes 24 and 25 and the edge of the hole in the wallboard 10. As used herein, reference to the front of the boxes 24 and 25 is to the side of the boxes to which the cover plate 28 is attached as generally shown in FIG. 2 and which are open to provide access to the interior of the boxes.

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, the supply box 24 includes a pair of side walls 29, a rear wall 31, an open front side or face 32 and opposed first and second end walls 33 and 35, respectively. The first end wall 33 includes a pair of spaced apart supply line openings 37 each being sized to receive the first connector 18 of the associated hook-ups 16 and 17. The hook-ups are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but not 3-5. The openings 37 are preferably aligned with each other along a centerline parallel to the front edge of the first end wall 33. The hook-ups 16 and 17 may each be secured to the supply box 24 by inserting the respective connector 18 through the respective opening 37 and threading a nut 38 onto the connector 18 from outside the box 24 and tightening it against the outer surface of the first end wall 33. The overall size of the supply box 24 is selected so as to provide sufficient room for the shut-off valves 20 and water hammer arresters 22 to be mounted therein and provide hand access to the shut-off valves 20. It should be noted that the supply box 24 is fully reversible such that the first end wall 33 with its supply line openings 37 may be oriented either downwardly as in FIGS. 2-5 or upwardly as in FIG. 15. The supply box 24 does not include any openings sized for coupling with or connection to the drain line 7.

If it is desired that the supply box 24 be useable as an ice-maker supply box, a single supply line opening 39 may be provided generally centrally in the first end wall 33 of the supply box 24, as shown in the alternative embodiment of FIG. 6. The single supply line opening 39 is sized to receive a single hook-up (not shown) for an ice-maker or the like. It is also foreseen that the supply box 24 may be modified to include three or more supply line openings such as openings 37 and 39 to facilitate use of the supply box 24 for multiple applications including as a supply box for laundry supply line hook-ups or for an ice-maker supply line hook-up. The openings, such as openings 37 and 39 may be initially covered by respective knockouts (not shown) which could then be selectively removed depending on whether the supply box 24 is to be used with one or two hook-ups.

Referring to FIGS. 7-10, the drain box 25 includes a pair of side walls 43, a rear wall 45, an open front side 46, a top end wall 47 and a bottom end wall 49. The bottom end wall 49 includes a drain line opening or bore 51 sized to receive the drain line 7. The drain box 25 does not include any openings sized to receive the supply lines 11. The bottom end wall 49 slopes downwardly from all sides toward the drain line opening 51 to funnel any water spilled or leaking into the drain box 25 from the washing machine drain line 15.

As best seen in FIG. 9, a sleeve or collar 53 sized to accept the drain line 7 extends downward from the bottom end wall 49 around the drain line opening 51. The drain line 7 can be attached to the collar 53 by use of a cement or other adhesive. A pipe stop 54 projects radially inward from the collar 53 and forms a shoulder or stop which abuts against an upper end of a drain line 7 received within collar 53. The inner diameter of the drain line 7 is generally smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe stop 54. It is foreseen that the collar 53 could be inserted inside of a larger diameter drain line 7. When the drain line 7 is inserted into or over the collar 53, the collar 53 may be described as extending in axial alignment with the drain line 7.

A removable closure member or knockout 57 initially covers the drain line opening 51 and permits pressure testing of the drain line 7. The closure member 57 can be removed after pressure testing to permit insertion of the washing machine drain hose (not shown) into the drain line 7. The closure member 57 is similar in construction to the closure member or disk described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,291 of Julian et al. the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The closure member 57 includes a circular disc or wall 59 with a peripheral rim including an inner rim section 61 and an outer rim section 62. A lower outer edge of the inner rim section 61 is connected to the upper inner edge of the pipe stop 54 by a region of reduced thickness to cause shearing of the inner rim section 61 from the pipe stop 54 upon application of a shearing force to the removable closure member 57. A portion of the outer rim section 62 is enlarged to form a tab 63 which may be readily grasped with a pair of pliers or the like to facilitate separation of the closure member 57 from the drain box 25. The tab 63 is positioned near the front of the drain box 25 to facilitate access thereto. It is also possible to separate the closure member 57 from the pipe stop 54 by pounding on the outer rim section 62 with a hammer or the like. The outer diameter of the closure member 57 is sized to be larger than the inner diameter of the drain line 7 received within the collar 53 so that the closure member 57 will not fall into the drain line 7 when removed from the drain box 25.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 10, a hollow, cylindrical nipple 64 is formed in the circular disc 59 and opens through the circular disc 59. A cylindrical, breakaway nipple plug 65 of reduced diameter is connected to the nipple 64 by a weakened ring to facilitate separation of the nipple plug 65 from the nipple 64. Until removed, the nipple plug 64 covers an opening in the outer end of the nipple 64. The nipple 64, with the nipple plug 65 removed, provides structure for connecting a conduit (not shown) thereto. The conduit may then be used to deliver pressurized fluid to the drain line system for pressure testing. The nipple 64 and nipple plug 65 are shown offset from the center of the disc 59 toward the front thereof to facilitate access to the nipple 64.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, the cover plate 28 generally comprises a pair of interconnected cover plates or frames adapted to provide access to the interior of the boxes 24 and 25 and cover the edges thereof. Cover plate 28 includes first and second frame collars or sleeves 66 and 67 each defining a frame opening 68. A flange or fascia 69 extends outward around the periphery of each frame collar 66 and 67. The portion of the fascia 69 extending between the collars 66 and 67 are interconnected to form a unitary piece. The frame collars 66 and 67 are sized and spaced to fit through the front face 32 and 46 and into the interior of an aligned and interconnected pair of boxes 24 and 25 mounted in the proper spacing and alignment such as by clip 26.

A pair of ratchet strips 70 are formed on both the upper and lower, outer surfaces of each collar 66 and 67. As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 8, corresponding pawls 72 are formed along the front edge of the end walls 33, 35, 47 and 49 of each supply box 24 and drain box 25. The pawls 71 along the front edges of the boxes engage the aligned ratchet strips 70 to secure the cover plate 28 to the boxes 24 and 25. It is foreseen that separate cover plates will be provided where it is desired to use only a single box 24 or 25 or if the installer would prefer to install separate covers over each box 24 and 25 even when properly aligned. It is also foreseen that the cover plate 28 could be formed to facilitate separation of the two frame sections into separate frame sections if desired. However, it is believed that a single cover plate 28 with two frame openings 68 will provide a more uniform appearance and will be preferred.

Each of the boxes 24 and 25 includes a variety of structures to facilitate mounting of the boxes 24 and 25 in a wall 9 including the U-shaped clips 26 and the elongated brackets or bars 27 which permit mounting of the boxes 24 and 25 in various arrangements or configurations, including on the same or opposite sides of a stud 11 and with the supply box 24 oriented with the first end wall 33 (in which the supply line openings 37 are formed) positioned as the bottom end wall or the top end wall.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, four mounting flanges 72 are formed on and project radially outward from the sidewalls 29 and 43 of the supply box 24 and drain box 25 respectively, near the corners thereof. The mounting flanges 72 are spaced rearwardly from a front edge of the respective boxes 24 and 25 a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the wallboard 10. Each of the mounting flanges 72 includes at least one fastener receiving hole 73 sized to receive a fastener 74, such as a nail or screw. Fasteners 74 can then be driven through the fastener receiving holes 73 of the mounting flanges 72 on one of the sidewalls 29 or 43 of either the supply box 24 or drain box 25 and into the front face of a stud 11 to connect the respective box to the stud 11.

A pair of hollow, cylindrical, fastener guides 77 are mounted to and above both the second end wall 35 of the supply box 24 and the top end wall 47 of the drain box 25, with one fastener guide 77 positioned proximate each sidewall of the pairs of sidewalls 29 and 43. When, for example, the supply box 24 is positioned with one of its sidewalls 29 against a side of a stud 11 and the mounting flanges 72 projecting outward from that sidewall 29 are secured to the front of the stud 11, another fastener can be driven through the fastener guide 77 associated with the respective sidewall 29 and into the side of the stud 11 to provide lateral or side to side support for the supply box 24. Each fastener guide 77 is mounted to the associated end wall 35 or 47 by web 78 and support wall 79 at an angle to facilitate driving a fastener into the stud 11 at a selected angle.

The U-shaped clips 26, one of which is shown in FIG. 13, are adapted for connecting a supply box 24 to a drain box 25 in the proper spacing and spacial alignment to facilitate the subsequent attachment of a cover plate 28 to the interconnected boxes 24 and 25. The U-shaped clips 26 are also configured to facilitate securing the boxes 24 and 25 on opposite sides of a stud 11. Each U-shaped clip 26 includes a pair of ears or legs 81 projecting rearward from and connected together by a front plate or intermediate connecting member 83. The front plate 83 spaces the legs 81 apart a sufficient distance to receive the narrow dimension of one of the studs 11 therebetween and to provide the proper spacing between boxes 24 and 25, connected together by the clip 26, to facilitate connection of the cover plate 28 thereto.

The legs 81 are sized to be received in slots 84 formed in the sidewalls 29 and 43 of the boxes 24 and 25 respectively. As can be seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, each slot 84 is formed by a pair of channel members or L-shaped guides 85 and 86 formed on the outer surface of each of the sidewalls 29 and 43 in vertically spaced and parallel alignment. A wedge shaped catch 88 is formed on the outer surface of each sidewall 29 and 43 between the L-shaped guides 85 and 86. A catch receiving hole 89 is formed in each leg 81 of clip 26. The catch 88 extends into the hole 89 of a leg 81 when the leg 81 is inserted into a slot 84 to the desired depth, where the clip front plate 83 generally extends flush with the mounting flanges 72.

As noted previously, the legs 81 are spaced apart a distance sufficient to receive the narrow dimension of a stud 11 therebetween. One or more fastener receiving holes 91 are formed in the clip front plate 83 to facilitate mounting of the clip 26 to the front face of a stud 11. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 14, with a supply box 24 mounted on one leg 81 of a clip 26 and a drain box 25 mounted on the other leg 81, the clip 26 can be advanced over a stud 11 and then secured in place by driving one or more fasteners through the fastener receiving holes 91 in the clip front plate 26. Fasteners can then be driven through the appropriate mounting flanges 72 and nail guides 77 to further secure the boxes 24 and 25 in place on opposite sides of the stud 11.

The clip 26, is sized to space the vertical edges of the sidewalls 29 and 43 farthest from the stud 11 the proper distance apart to align the edges of the boxes 24 and 25 with the first and second frame collars 66 and 67 of cover plate 28. The L-shaped guides 85 and 86 are also positioned on the sidewalls 29 and 43 to position the pawls 71 formed along the front edge of the drain box top end wall 47 in horizontal alignment with the pawls 71 formed along the front edge of either the first or second end wall 33 or 35 of the supply box 24 (depending on which of the endwalls 33 or 35 is positioned on top) when the boxes 24 and 25 are secured together by the clip 26. The clip 26 thereby ensures that the pawls 71 will be properly aligned with the ratchet strips 70 on each of the cover plate collars 66 and 67.

Referring again to FIG. 13, a U-shaped channel 94 is punched into each leg 81 of the clip 26 to form a selectively engageable strut or brace 95. The braces 95 are adapted for use when the clip 26 is used in association with metal studs 11 having a C our U shaped cross-section. As can be seen in FIG. 14, such metal studs 11 have a web 97 on one side and an open channel 98 on the other. When the clip 26 is attached to the face of the metal stud, the brace 95 on the open channel side can be bent 90 degrees inward to position the tip of the brace 95 against an inner surface of the web 97. The brace 95 so deployed provides lateral support for the clip 26 and the box 24 or 25 mounted to the associated leg 81.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 15 and 16, elongated mounting brackets 27 may be connected to one or more of the boxes 24 and 25 through a set of apertures or slots 101 and grooves 103 formed in the boxes 24 and 25. The mounting bracket 27 shown is of the type generally referred to in the industry as a Hyco Bar and comprises an elongate, relatively rigid metal bar with equally spaced fastener receiving holes extending along its entire length. The mounting brackets 27 may be used to make the connection of the boxes 24 and 25 over a stud more rigid or to support boxes 24 and 25 individually or in combination between a pair of adjacent studs 11.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, slots 101 are formed in a slotted wall or flange 102 projecting outward and transverse to the supply box second end wall 35 (the wall opposite the supply line openings), and the drain box top end wall 47. The slotted flanges 102 are spaced rearward from the front edge of the end walls 35 and 47 a distance generally corresponding to the thickness of the wallboard 10. A mounting bracket 27 can be threaded through aligned slots 101 in adjacent boxes 24 and 25 to connect the boxes 24 and 25 together in the proper vertical alignment without use of the clip 26. However, use of the clip 26 is preferred to facilitate maintaining the proper horizontal spacing of the boxes 24 and 25. Because the mounting brackets 27 extend through the slots 101 on edge, the mounting brackets 27 resist vertical deflection of the boxes 24 and 25 even upon application of large downwardly directed forces which may be applied to the top of the boxes 24 and 25 if the wallboard 10 to be applied is supported on either of the boxes 24 or 25.

Grooves 103 are formed in the drain box bottom end wall 49 (see FIG. 9) and the supply box first end wall 33 (see FIGS. 2 and 5). The grooves 103 extend inward from the outer surfaces of end walls 33 and 49 and extend across the width of the boxes 24 and 25 parallel to the front edges thereof. The grooves 103 are spaced rearward from the front edges of the end walls 33 and 49 the same distance that the slots 101 are spaced rearward from the front edges of end walls 35 and 47. An elongate bracket 27 may be inserted into or threaded through aligned grooves 103 in aligned boxes 24 and 25 to support the boxes 24 and 25 as generally shown in FIGS. 3, 15 and 16.

In applications in which the supply box 24 is inverted to position the first end wall 33 and the supply line openings 37 on top or above the second end wall 35 as shown in FIG. 15, the groove 103 in the supply box first end wall 33 will be aligned with the slot 101 formed above drain box top end wall 47. Correspondingly, the slot 101 in the supply box second end wall 35 will be aligned with the groove 103 formed in the bottom end wall 49. It is foreseen that the slots 101 and grooves 103 could be sized or arranged to receive other types of mounting brackets such as Universal Slider Brackets™ manufactured by Sioux Chief Manufacturing Company, Inc. which are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,402,096 and 6,446,915.

Depending on the desired installation, the system 1 may be installed using various combinations of the mounting flanges 72 and nail guides 77, the U-shaped clips 26 and the mounting brackets 27 to interconnect the boxes 24 and 25 and to connect or mount the boxes 24 and 25 to one or more of the wall studs 11. If, for example, it is desired that the boxes 24 and 25 be located adjacent to and on opposite sides of a stud 11 as in FIG. 3, the boxes 24 and 25 are connected by a single U-shaped clip 26. One leg 81 of the clip 26 is inserted into the slot 84 associated with one of the side walls 29 of the supply box 24 and the other leg 81 is inserted in the slot 84 associated with one of the side walls 43 of the drain box 25. Note that because slots 84 are formed along each of the side walls 29 of the supply box 24 and along each of the side walls 43 of the drain box 25, the supply box 24 may be positioned either to the left or right of the drain box 25 and may be oriented with its supply line openings 37 and 39 directed either upwardly or downwardly.

Once the boxes 24 and 25 are connected, the U-shaped clip 26 is pushed over the stud 11 until the front plate 83 is seated against the stud 11. The system 1 is retained in position by driving fasteners into the stud 11 through the fastener receiving holes 73 in the mounting flanges 72 adjacent the stud 11, and through the fastener openings 91 in the clip front plate 83. Fasteners are driven through the associated nail guides 77 to secure the boxes 24 and 25 to the side of the stud 11 and help retain the system 1 in position. Elongate mounting brackets 27 may be threaded through aligned slots 101 and grooves 103 in the in the boxes 24 and 25 and fastened to the stud 11 to provide additional vertical rigidity for the system.

If it is desired that the boxes 24 and 25 be installed side-by-side and between a pair of studs 11 a and 11 b as generally shown in FIG. 15, the boxes 24 and 25 are first connected together in their desired relationship to one another by a U-shaped clip 26 in the manner described above. Mounting brackets 27, sized to span the gap between studs 11 a and 11 b, are inserted through the aligned slots 101 and grooves 103 located along the tops and bottoms of the boxes 24 and 25. The side wall 29 or 43 to be positioned adjacent or proximate the stud 11 a (sidewall 29 is shown adjacent stud 11 a in FIG. 15) can then be secured to the stud 11 a by driving fasteners through the mounting flanges 72 and nail guide 77 aligned therewith. Fasteners are also driven through fastener openings in the elongate mounting brackets 27 to secure them to studs 11 a and 11 b. Alternatively a second clip 26 could be used to secure the box 24 or 25 to be positioned adjacent the stud 11 a thereto. In such an application, one leg 81 of the second clip 26 would be inserted through the slot 84 in the sidewall 29 or 43 to be positioned adjacent the stud 11 a and the second clip could then be positioned over the stud 11 a and the front plate 83 fastened to the stud 11 a.

It is also foreseen that one or more boxes 24 and 25 could be supported on mounting brackets 27 spanning the gap between two adjacent studs 11 a and 11 b without use of a clip 26 to connect either the supply box 24 or the drain box 25 to either stud 11 a or 11 b as shown in FIG. 16 with reference to an ice maker water supply box 24. Connection of the supply line 3 and drain line 5 to the hookups in boxes 24 and 25 suspended on brackets 27 between studs 11 will generally fix the horizontal position of the boxes 24 or 25. In addition, the installer can drive a screw through one of the exposed fastener receiving openings in the bracket 27 and into the portion of the slotted wall 102 extending therebehind to fixe the horizontal position of the box 24 or 25 relative to the brackets 27.

Once the system 1 has been installed using one of the above methods and the associated plumbing including the drain line 7 and supply lines 11 are in place, the wallboard 10 can be installed over the studs 11 and generally flush with the front edges of the boxes 24 and 25. After the wallboard is finished, the cover plate 28 is installed to cover the edges of the wallboard and give the boxes 24 and 25 a smooth, finished appearance.

It is to be understood that while certain forms of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts described and shown. For example, it is foreseen that the supply box and the drain box could be connected together by a cross-member integrally molded with the supply box and the drain box to form an assembly formed as a single molded piece of plastic. The cross member would effectively replace the front plate 83 of clip 26 and provide the proper spacing between the drain and supply boxes and provide means for mounting the supply and drain boxes on opposite sides of a stud with the stud received between the boxes. Fastener receiving openings would preferably be formed in the cross member to facilitate connection of the boxes to the stud positioned therebetween. As used in the claims, identification of an element with an indefinite article “a” or “an” or the phrase “at least one” is intended to cover any device assembly including one or more of the elements at issue. Similarly, references to first and second elements is not intended to limit the claims to such assemblies including only two of the elements, but rather is intended to cover two or more of the elements at issue. Only where limiting language such as “a single” or “only one” with reference to an element, is the language intended to be limited to one of the elements specified, or any other similarly limited number of elements. 

1. A laundry box system for providing access to a drain line in a wall for draining a washing machine and at least one water supply line in a wall for supplying water to a washing machine, said system comprising: a) a supply box molded from plastic and having two end walls and two side walls, one of said end walls of said supply box having at least one supply opening formed therein, said at least one supply opening sized to receive a respective water supply line; each of said side walls of said supply box having a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; b) a drain box, molded from plastic, and separate from said supply box and having a top end wall, a bottom end wall and two side walls, said bottom end wall having a drain opening formed therein; said drain box further having a collar extending outward from said first wall and surrounding said drain opening, said collar sized to receive the drain line and connect said drain box to the drain line with said drain opening in said drain box extending in communication with the end of the drain line connected to said collar; each of said side walls of said drain box having a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; and c) a U-shaped clip for interconnecting said supply box to said drain box said U-shaped clip having a pair of legs connected together by a connecting member, a first of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said supply box and a second of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said drain box said legs of said clip are spaced apart a distance selected to allow the narrow dimension of a standard wall stud to be interposed therebetween; and d) respective bracket receiving apertures formed on one of said end walls of said drain box and one of said end walls of said supply box and an elongate bracket simultaneously receivable through said aperture on said drain box and said aperture on said supply box.
 2. A laundry box system for providing access to a drain line in a wall for draining a washing machine and at least one water supply line in a wall for supplying water to a washing machine, said system comprising: a) a supply box molded from plastic and having two end walls and two side walls, one of said end walls of said supply box having at least one supply opening formed therein, said at least one supply opening sized to receive a respective water supply line; each of said side walls of said supply box having a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; b) a drain box, molded from plastic, and separate from said supply box and having a top end wall, a bottom end wall and two side walls, said bottom end wall having a drain opening formed therein; said drain box further having a collar extending outward from said first wall and surrounding said drain opening, said collar sized to receive the drain line and connect said drain box to the drain line with said drain opening in said drain box extending in communication with the end of the drain line connected to said collar; each of said side walls of said drain box having a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; and c) a U-shaped clip for interconnecting said supply box to said drain box said U-shaped clip having a pair of legs connected together by a connecting member, a first of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said supply box and a second of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said drain box, said legs of said clip are spaced apart a distance selected to allow the narrow dimension of a standard wall stud to be interposed therebetween; and d) respective bracket receiving grooves formed in an outer surface of one of said endwalls of said drain box and in an outer surface of one of said endwalls of said supply box and an elongate bracket simultaneously receivable in said bracket receiving grooves.
 3. A laundry box system for providing access to a drain line and at least two water supply lines in a wall, said system comprising: a) a supply box molded from plastic and having two end walls and two side walls, one of said end walls of said supply box having at least two supply openings formed therein, each said supply opening being sized to receive a respective one of the water supply lines; wherein no collar sized to receive the drain line projects outward from one of said end walls of said supply box; each of said side walls of said supply box having a clip receiving slot formed on any exterior surface; b) a drain box molded from plastic and separate from said supply box, said drain box having a top end wall, a bottom end wall and two side walls, said bottom end wall having a drain opening formed therein; said drain box further having a collar extending outward from said first wall and surrounding said drain opening, said collar sized to receive the drain line and secure said drain line in communication with said drain opening; each of said side walls of said drain box having a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; c) a U-shaped clip having a pair of legs connected together by a connecting member, a first of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said supply box and a second of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said drain box; said legs of said clip are spaced apart a distance selected to allow the narrow dimension of a standard wall stud to be interposed therebetween; and d) a bracket receiving aperture formed in each of said supply box and said drain box and an elongate bracket securable to the stud, said elongate bracket being simultaneously receivable through said bracket receiving aperture in each of said supply box and said drain box.
 4. The system as in claim 3 wherein said bracket receiving aperture in said supply box is formed in said end wall opposite said supply openings and said bracket receiving aperture in said drain box is formed in said end wall opposite said drain opening; and said elongate bracket includes at least one fastener receiving opening formed therein for receiving a fastener engageable with the stud.
 5. A laundry box system for providing access to a drain line in a wall for draining a washing machine and at least one water supply line in a wall for supplying water to a washing machine, said system comprising: a) a supply box molded from plastic and having two end walls and two side walls, one of said end walls of said supply box having at least one supply opening formed therein, said at least one supply opening sized to receive a respective water supply line; each of said side walls of said supply box having a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; b) a drain box, molded from plastic, and separate from said supply box and having a top end wall, a bottom end wall and two side walls, said bottom end wall having a drain opening formed therein; said drain box further having a collar extending outward from said first wall and surrounding said drain opening, said collar sized to receive the drain line and connect said drain box to the drain line with said drain opening in said drain box extending in communication with the end of the drain line connected to said collar; each of said side walls of said drain box having a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; and c) a U-shaped clip for interconnecting said supply box to said drain box said U-shaped clip having a pair of legs connected together by a connecting member, a first of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said supply box and a second of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said drain box, said legs of said clip are spaced apart a distance selected to allow the narrow dimension of a standard wall stud to be interposed therebetween; and d) a bracket receiving aperture formed in each of said supply box and said drain box and an elongate bracket securable to the stud, said elongate bracket being simultaneously receivable through said bracket receiving aperture in each of said supply box and said drain box.
 6. A laundry box system for providing access to a drain line and at least two water supply lines in a wall, said system comprising: a) a supply box molded from plastic and having two end walls and two side walls, one of said end walls of said supply box having at least two supply openings formed therein, each said supply opening being sized to receive a respective one of the water supply lines; wherein no collar sized to receive the drain line projects outward from one of said end walls of said supply box; each of said side walls of said supply box having a clip receiving slot formed on any exterior surface; b) a drain box molded from plastic and separate from said supply box, said drain box having a top end wall, a bottom end wall and two side walls, said bottom end wall having a drain opening formed therein; said drain box further having a collar extending outward from said first wall and surrounding said drain opening, said collar sized to receive the drain line and secure said drain line in communication with said drain opening; each of said side walls of said drain box having a clip receiving slot formed on an exterior surface thereof; c) a U-shaped clip having a pair of legs connected together by a connecting member, a first of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said supply box and a second of said legs selectively receivable within one of said clip receiving slots in said drain box; said legs of said clip are spaced apart a distance selected to allow the narrow dimension of a standard wall stud to be interposed therebetween; and d) respective bracket receiving grooves formed in an outer surface of one of said end walls of said drain box and in an outer surface of one of said end walls of said supply box and an elongate bracket simultaneously receivable in said bracket receiving grooves. 